How To Create a Table of Contents for Kindle eBooks

When creating a table of contents for kindle eBooks, you can’t just use a standard hyperlink in Microsoft Word. It’s actually a LOT easier than that. Here is a quick guide to creating your table of contents to work with the kindle devices.

Step 1: Start with a Blank Page

Click on the “Insert” tab then click “Blank Page“.

Step 2: Insert Table of Contents

Click on the “References” tab and then click “Table of Contents” > “Insert Table of Contents“. You will get a screen like this:

You can choose to show page numbers, although I usually don’t unless the book is more than 100 pages long. I always leave the “Use hyperlinks instead of page numbers”. Then, you can choose the number of levels you want. The number of levels you will need will depend on how many headings you used in your book. For example, if you used just Heading 1 and Heading 2, then you would only need 2 levels…eazy peazy.

Once you are done, just click “OK” and your table of contents will be created for you!

Step 3: Add a Bookmark to the Table of Contents

It’s essential that you add a bookmark to the table of contents. This allows people to easily get back to the table of contents if they are reading your book on a kindle device. To do that, place your cursor at the beginning of the table of contents, then click the “Insert” tab then click “Bookmark“. You will get a screen like the one below.

Thanks! Now doing the finishing touches on my first Kindle ebook, outsourced through The Content Authority. The screenshots would be a great addition to the Formatting Your Book chapter in your Publishing For Profit ebook.

I’m reading your tutorial on “How to create a link in Kindle”. You show some steps that refer to starting with a blank page. I must be pretty ignorant but I don’t know ‘in what program’. I have MS Word 2007. Would that work”
please let me know at my email above. Thank You